Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 335

Beopgye rushed into the abbot’s room, the wooden door banging open behind him. He was very angry, his face tight. He watched Hyun Jong and Cheong Myung walk away, disappearing from sight.

“…Abbot,” Beopgye said, his voice shaking.

Abbot Beopjeong looked up. He saw Beopgye’s angry face.

“What are you going to do?” Beopgye asked.

“About Hwasan!”

Beopjeong sighed quietly.

“Beopgye, Beopgye,” Beopjeong said softly, “A Buddhist getting this angry? We both still have much to learn.”

“But, Abbot!”

“Lower your voice.”

Beopgye closed his mouth at the stern command.

He was still angry, but he had to listen to the abbot. Not just because he was a Buddhist, but because he knew Beopjeong was also very upset inside.

“There’s no need to be so angry.”

Beopjeong smiled calmly and said a Buddhist prayer.

“In the end, they will do what we want.”

“…Will they really?”

“They will have no choice.”

Beopjeong gently touched the Jahasingeom in front of him. The Jahasingeom, also known as the Daehyeon Sword, was a sacred weapon of Hwasan, holding great historical and spiritual power.

“A sacred weapon is more than just a symbol. It holds the history and spirit of a group. What would you do if another group took the Green Jade Buddha of Shaolin?”

“One of the two groups would be destroyed; there is no other way.”

“Indeed.”

Beopjeong nodded slowly.

“But didn’t they say something different?”

“The Hwasan of today is trying to be different from Shaolin.”

Beopjeong’s voice became quieter.

“So, they had to pretend in front of us. Hwasan lost so much of its past in the war against the Demonic Sect. Hwasan has lost so much. They will never truly let go of their most important treasure, the Daehyeon Sword. It’s too important to their identity. They might talk like that now, but they will come crawling back to me tomorrow.”

Beopgye looked quickly at the door.

He didn’t doubt the abbot, but he felt uneasy.

“This isn’t just about Shaolin’s feelings. It’s for the good of the world. If those who say they are good refuse to do what’s best for the world, can they really call themselves good?”

Beopjeong said another prayer, then drank some tea.

“Hyun Jong, the leader of Hwasan, isn’t well-known, but I’ve heard he is a good man and a Taoist. He wouldn’t ignore something that could cause chaos in the world.”

“Will it really be like that?”

“When have I ever been wrong?”

Beopgye hesitated before answering.

In the past, he would have answered right away.

But not now. Beopjeong’s predictions about Hwasan had been wrong.

Beopjeong saw the doubt on Beopgye’s face and smiled calmly. Beopgye respected the Abbot, but a small voice in his mind whispered doubts. Hwasan seemed different.

‘Everyone makes mistakes.’

The important thing is how you fix them.

It was true that Hwasan had embarrassed Shaolin. But, if they could handle this well and bring Hwasan under Shaolin’s control, then it wouldn’t be embarrassing anymore.

And it wasn’t just about saving face.

He didn’t know how they did it, but Hwasan had won over the Southern Savage Beast Palace.

No other group in the world, not even Shaolin, had been able to do that.

‘We must never miss any signs of the Demonic Sect.’

To do that, they needed Hwasan’s help, even if it meant putting aside personal feelings.

“A child who has lost their parents misses them. Hwasan has lost too much. There’s no way they would give up the Daehyeon Sword, the weapon that led Hwasan to its greatest glory, and Hwasan’s sacred weapon. Amitabha.”

“…”

“It would have been better if we could have found the remains of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, but the Daehyeon Sword is also very important to Hwasan. Watch. They might have left feeling good, but they won’t be able to sleep tonight. And by tomorrow morning, they will come crawling back here.”

Beopjeong felt a familiar sense of control. He had guided Shaolin for years, and his judgment was rarely wrong. This Hwasan situation would be no different.

Seeing Beopjeong’s relaxed face, Beopgye nodded slowly.

If Beopjeong was so confident, then things would go as he planned.

It had to be so.

It had to be…

The next morning.

“…They’re gone?”

Beopgye had never seen Beopjeong look like that before.

Beopjeong, who always seemed so calm, was standing there with his mouth open and his head tilted.

“…Yes.”

“N-no, what are you talking about? Gone?”

Beopgye closed his eyes.

“I went to check on them, but the building was empty.”

“…”

Beopjeong’s eyes widened, and his calm face crumbled. He looked like a man who had just been told the sky was falling.

“N-no. W-wait a moment… Wait. Amitabha. Amitabha!”

He said Buddhist prayers over and over, as if he couldn’t think straight. Then he asked,

“Where, where did they go?”

“…Well, wouldn’t they have gone back to Hwasan?”

“They just left in this situation…?”

Instead of answering, Beopgye stared at Beopjeong.

He was sure that this was the first time he had ever seen the abbot asking such silly questions.

“The young man who takes care of the building said they left as soon as the sun came up.”

“…”

Beopjeong’s head tilted even more.

“Gone? N-no. This can’t be happening. There’s no way this could happen? They just left in this situation? In this situation?”

Beopjeong seemed very confused as he jumped up. He paced around the room, saying Buddhist prayers like a crazy person.

“Amitabha. Amitabha! Amitabha!”

Beopgye watched him, looking worried.

‘He seems quite impressive in his own way.’

Seeing him trying to stay calm even though he was so upset, he really was the abbot of Shaolin…

“Amitabha. Amitabha! No! To hell with Amitabha! And Aminabala!”

“…”

Never mind.

Flames were in Beopjeong’s eyes.

“No, what on earth are those crazy people from Hwasan thinking! If they just leave here, they’ll be enemies with Shaolin, and the world will be in chaos! If they just let go like this, who’s going to clean up the mess!”

Well, we will, of course.

Are you asking because you don’t know?

Beopgye didn’t say the words he was thinking.

He had never done this before, but he felt that if he said anything now, the abbot would pick up the wooden block on the tea table and hit him over the head.

“No. Those crazy people from Hwasan!”

“Please calm down, Abbot. People are listening.”

“Do you think I can stay calm right now? Those who are going to fall into hell!”

Beopgye couldn’t watch Beopjeong shouting like he was about to breathe fire, so he closed his eyes.

Mount Hua is the real problem.

From the start of the tournament to the finals, everything involving Mount Hua went against the Shaolin Sect’s plans.

Shaolin Temple wanted to win honor in this competition, but they completely lost it. Hye-yeon had hoped to become powerful because of the tournament. But he was so surprised and upset by the final results that he locked himself in the training room.

And now, even the Abbot of Shaolin was very angry and shouting curses because of Mount Hua.

“It’s possessed by a demon! A demon!”

The grinning face of Cheong-myeong flickered before Beopgye’s eyes.

Mount Hua was a problem, but that devil was impossible to deal with. And as long as that devil was there, causing trouble everywhere, Mount Hua would surely stand in Shaolin’s way.

As Beopgye glanced down at the foot of Mount Song, a roar of anger erupted from Beopjeong behind him.

“Seize them! Seize them immediately! No! I’ll go myself!”

“P-Please calm down, Abbot! If you go after those who are leaving and try to seize them, what will become of Shaolin’s reputation?”

“Is reputation the problem now? Those madmen! Mount Hua! Mount Hua Divine Dragon. Hwa… Urgh!”

“Abbot! Get a grip! Abbot!”

Beopgye rushed forward in alarm as Beopjeong clutched the back of his neck and collapsed.

It seemed that even great martial skill couldn’t overcome high blood pressure.

Baek Cheon frowned and turned his head, casting a glance towards Mount Song, which was now quite distant.

“Did you hear something just now?”

“What sound?”

“It sounded like a scream or something…”

“Probably just an old badger dying.”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon turned back with a look that suggested he hadn’t the faintest idea what Cheong-myeong was talking about, but Cheong-myeong merely wore a smug, satisfied smile.

That monk thinks he can control Mount Hua.

What?

The world?

That’s for you lot to worry about.

Cheong-myeong no longer wanted the disciples of Mount Hua to become obsessed with the idea of ‘saving the world.’ They had learned the hard way that sacrificing everything for the sake of the world brought nothing in return, so why would they be foolish enough to do those blighters any favors?

“Keeuh. That feels good.”

Cheong-myeong raised his gourd and gulped down the liquor.

Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes as he watched him.

What on earth did he say to the Abbot of Shaolin?

Clearly, something important had been discussed, but no matter how much he pressed, Cheong-myeong wouldn’t reveal what had happened.

And even Hyun Jong, who would normally have explained things to his disciples with a smile…

Baek Cheon glanced sideways at Hyun Jong. He was trailing slowly behind them.

Hyun Jong, who should have been looking at them warmly with kind eyes, now looked like he’d committed some kind of crime.

He even kept glancing back at Mount Song with an anxious expression. Then, with a look of utter despair, he kept muttering something to himself.

“Retrieve… I must retrieve it… Retrieve. The, the ancestor… If the ancestor finds out about this… Amitabha. Amitabha! Oh, Amitabha!”

Hyun Jong took a few steps, then flinched again and turned back. Then, as if seized by a fit, he started running towards Mount Song.

But he didn’t get far. Hyun Young and Hyun Sang, who had been watching over Hyun Jong, blocked his path and dragged him back.

“Let go! Let go, you impudent fools! Good heavens, what kind of object is it!”

“Sect Leader, let us return to Mount Hua and discuss this.”

“Cheong-myeong told us never to let the Sect Leader go to Shaolin. Let’s go.”

“Oh… Oh, this cannot be! Oh, you blighters. How can I face the ancestors in the afterlife! Oh, woe is me!”

Baek Cheon, who had been quietly observing the elders and the Sect Leader, looked at Cheong-myeong with a strange gaze.

“Cheong-myeong.”

“Huh?”

“…Why is the Sect Leader acting like that?”

“Who knows? Seems like he left something important on Mount Song.”

“Something important?”

“Hee hee hee hee. What could be so important? We’ve got all the important stuff right here.”

Cheong-myeong pointed at something.

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

Four large carts followed behind the disciples of Mount Hua.

Each one was piled high with something, covered with a large cloth.

So, that’s all money, is it?

To be precise, that was all the money that Mount Hua and Cheong-myeong had earned this time.

Even more chilling was the fact that Mount Hua had only earned enough to fill one cart, while Cheong-myeong had earned the rest.

“Sasuk, this trip to Shaolin was very fruitful.”

“…Indeed.”

“The monks were so generous, giving everything away without holding back. We’ve eaten well. Hee hee hee hee.”

Baek Cheon squeezed his eyes shut.

That devilish rascal.

Shaolin’s only mistake was not knowing that Mount Hua had such a monstrous fiend in their midst. And Shaolin would pay dearly for that mistake.

“Anyway…”

Baek Cheon spoke to Cheong-myeong with a slightly serious look.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Huh?”

“We couldn’t have achieved such good results in this tournament without you. You…”

“What are you on about?”

Cheong-myeong frowned.

“Don’t talk as if you’ve accomplished something great with a children’s sparring match, Sasuk.”

Cheong-myeong’s reaction was utterly indifferent.

“The martial arts of the Nine Great Sects are traditional and strong. The deeper the tradition, the stronger it becomes. Second-generation disciples aren’t qualified to represent the power of their sects. The real power of each sect lies with the elders and first-generation disciples. So…”

He shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Even the worst-performing Hainan Sect in this tournament is still stronger than Mount Hua. For now, at least.”

Baek Cheon nodded slowly.

“Yes. I suppose so.”

“We still have a lot to do. We have to work very hard. Then, someday…”

Cheong-myeong, who had been speaking, raised his head and looked into the distance. And he muttered.

“Yes. Someday.”

Baek Cheon didn’t bother to ask what he meant.

He simply smiled as he looked at Cheong-myeong’s profile.

Yes.

Someday.

The day would come when Mount Hua would stand proudly as the greatest sect in the world.